Opposition coalition demands voter register audit 72 days before January 16 elections
- The G100 coalition has renamed itself the Coalition for Democracy and is demanding an independent forensic audit of the voter register.
- It wants the audit finished and published state by state before December 15, ahead of the January 16 elections.
- The group accused the APC of shrinking democratic space and asked the police to protect all parties equally.
A group of six opposition parties has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to open its voter register to outside scrutiny, warning that the credibility of the January 16 elections is already in doubt.
The group, previously known as the G100, announced on Thursday that it will now be called the Coalition for Democracy. Its member parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement signed by Salihu Lukman, the coalition said it wants an independent forensic audit of the register completed by December 15, with the results published state by state and any officials found culpable prosecuted.
It also asked INEC to hand every registered party electronic copies of the preliminary register, and later the certified version, so parties can check the names themselves.
What the coalition is alleging
The coalition said it was worried by reports of AI-generated photographs in the register, said to have been inserted by INEC's own registration officers, and by the removal of more than 1.27 million records. It asked why no official has been publicly named or charged over the irregularities.
It also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of making the contest uneven. According to the statement, opposition supporters were attacked in Kaduna, Sokoto and Cross River, and ambushed in Ibadan, within the last 90 days. It said hotels booked for opposition delegates cancelled reservations, campaign offices were sealed, and opposition billboards were pulled down in Edo State while the ruling party's stayed up.
In the Federal Capital Territory, the coalition said opposition access to outdoor advertising was quoted at up to ₦750 million. It also cited an incident in which a local government chairman reportedly told residents to vote for the APC or leave their community. The APC has not responded to the allegations in the statement.
The coalition called on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to give equal protection to all lawful political activity under Section 83 of the Police Act 2020, and to publish the results of investigations into attacks on opposition supporters in Oyo, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
You cannot be a contestant and insist on writing the rules for your opponents, the coalition said.
It urged state governments to stop denying campaign venues, political offices and advertising space to some parties while allowing others.
What happens next
The coalition's demands are directed at INEC, the police and state governments, none of which has publicly responded. With the election now 72 days away, the register audit the group wants would have to be finished and published within about six weeks for its December 15 deadline to be met.
